A Few Simple Steps
by LA Knight
Summary: Prince Nuada is reminded of just what he is trying to protect by raising the Golden Army. A one-shot for "The Fire's Fuel," written by permission of JasperIsAManlyMan.


_**Author's Note:**__ this is a brief one-shot slice-of-life vignette for the Hellboy fanfic "The Fire's Fuel" by JasperIsAManlyMan. You guys should so totally go read it. It's awesome. I have the author's permission to write this one-shot. Just a brief and happy moment in the life of Prince Nuada after the birth of his son, Liam._

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_**A Few Simple Steps**__  
A Short Story for "The Fire's Fuel"_

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Crown Prince Nuada Silverlance glared out the window, watching the snow swirling in thick white flurries as the wind sighed beyond the glass. Behind him, his wife plied needle and thread, mending one of his torn shirts. In the days before the last war, one of the royal tailors would have seen to the garment, but there was something soothing about the faint swish of Dynala's needle gliding through the silk, the soft shush of the thread against the soft fabric.

There was precious little Nuada found soothing these days. Years upon years of searching for the final piece of the Golden Crown had begun to weigh on him. Would he never find the blasted thing?

Dynala had faith that he would. But then, his wife had never believed anything less. _We know that you are trying, and that is all anyone can ask of you._ She had always lifted him up. Always been there to remind him that, though he had not found the piece _yet,_ he would someday.

_I can only pray it is someday soon._ Things would soon be coming to a head. The world was a powderkeg waiting to blow halfway to Hell if something was not done, and soon. The humans were destroying everything, the rate of their wanton destruction increasing exponentially day by day. Soon another war would be upon the fae.

Nuada could only pray that the steps he had taken in the interim were enough. After all, he had more than just the people of his kingdom to protect now. Now he had...

"Nuada, look!"

Dynala caught his attention just before something small collided with the back of his knee. Startled firegold eyes zeroed in on the tiny, moon-white face of his son looking up at him from the floor. Liam had begun crawling only a few weeks before. Now the babe could make his way across the room seemingly in an eyeblink. The Elf prince had no idea how his wife managed to keep up with him.

Realizing he had his father's attention, Liam flashed Nuada a wide smile that showcased his two new teeth. Then, narrowing his golden eyes in concentration, the baby reached up both hands and grasped the top of Nuada's boot, using it to haul himself awkwardly to his feet. Liam grinned and threw out his arms as if to say, "Ta-da!" Then he promptly lost his balance and smacked bottom-first to the floor again. His father's mouth twitched once, then again when the bairn scowled at the boot, grabbed it, and yanked himself up once more. This time he didn't let go.

"Look at that face," Dynala said, laughing. "He looks just like you right now."

Nuada didn't answer, only smiled as his son carefully picked up one chubby foot and set it gingerly on the ground. When the floorboards didn't do anything drastic, the little prince picked up his other foot and set that one down experimentally. Then he repeated the process over and over again for a few minutes, every so often pulling on Nuada's boot-top to keep from falling.

"What is he doing?" The prince wondered aloud. His wife laughed again.

"Practicing," she said as Liam released his death-grip on the leather and, scrunching up his face, stomped on the ground a couple times. "Trying to wa-"

Just then, Liam turned to Dynala and burbled, "Ma-ta." Dynala's mouth dropped open. Liam giggled and clapped, saying, "Ma-ta, Ma-ta, Ma-ta!"

The Elven warrior swallowed down the odd lump in his throat and asked softly, "Did he just say... mathair?" His wife nodded. Nuada thought he saw a sheen of tears in her eyes. Liam's first word - mother.

_Or at least_, Nuada reflected, "_mother" in baby-speech._ It was still enough to make Nuada's chest tight with something too great to be mere happiness.

Still chanting "Ma-ta," Liam lifted his foot again. Instead of putting it back where it had been, he placed it in front of him. Then he did the same with his other foot. Realizing what he was up to, with bated breath Nuada and Dynala watched their son wobble across the room to stumble against his mother's legs. Liam bounced up and down, chirruping, "Ma-ta, see! Ma-ta, see!"

"I... I _do_ see," she whispered, stroking back the cornsilk hair on Liam's head. "Good job, my darling. Very good job."

Liam smacked his hand against his mouth and then planted his beslobbered palm against his mother's hand. "Ma-ta!" Excited little amber eyes swiveled back to Nuada, and Liam scrunched up his face again. The Elf prince watched with something that might have been awe as his son slowly, carefully toddled his way back across the room to waddle into Nuada's knees.

The Elven warrior felt what might have been a tear pricking his eye as that precious face beamed up at him and said, "See, A-ta? See? A-ta!" And those chubby little arms wrapped half-way 'round Nuada's knees and his son hugged him tightly.

Reaching down, Nuada hoisted Liam into his arms. The baby kissed his hand again and pressed it to his father's cheek. Nuada was torn between a shudder at the squelching of warm baby saliva against his face and a smile at his son's triumph. He decided on the smile, and surreptitiously wiped his cheek when Liam wasn't looking.

"Well done," the Elf prince said, and kissed his son's forehead. "Well done."

"A-ta," Liam gurgled. "Luv A-ta."

Something hot and salty seemed to be caught in Nuada's suddenly tight throat. Joy swelled in his chest. _I love you, Father,_ was what his son had just said. "I love you, too, Liam," he said to his son. Liam proudly displayed his two new teeth in another happy grin while Nuada met Dynala's eyes. Yes, he had more than simply his kingdom to protect now. He had something far more precious. It had just walked right up to him and stolen his heart all over again with a few simple steps.

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_So, I hope that wasn't too fluffy. "The Fire's Fuel" is pretty fast-paced, and we don't get to see Liam grow up and do all those cute baby things (like spit up on Nuada because poor baby don't feel very good, hehehehe) so I wanted to write a moment where we do. I have JasperIsAManlyMan's permission - she and I are buddies - and I hope you like it, dear. Toodle-oo!_

_- LA Knight_


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